OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — To make sure Nebraska continues to be a competitor as a place to live and raise a family, about 5,000 people from around the Cornhusker state were asked what truly makes Nebraska the good life. Through those answers Blueprint Nebraska was created. “An economic roadmap for the growth and thriving of our state, we're thinking about basically creating the good life here in Nebraska, making it even better than what it is today,” said Union Pacific CEO, Lance Fritz.
Nebraska has the 9th lowest unemployment rate. And we are ranked 6th in education. But we do have one problem, keeping people in the state. Every year we are net-losing part of our population, last year it was about 33-hundred people,” said Fritz. In order to decrease that number, we need to focus on keeping and attracting people aged 18 to 34. Andrew Prystai is in that range and he said, “the one thing that we felt Omaha can really provide that's organic, that's unique and that young professionals want is opportunity." An opportunity to voice your opinion. “There's a million different ways that you can get involved and really make your difference be heard here in Omaha that wouldn't present itself to a young professional moving to Denver, Chicago or New York City,” said Prystai.
He says in order to keep young people, Nebraska also needs to focus on having the best educational system in the country, having affordable housing, encouraging tech start-ups and continuing to invest in areas we already have success in such as agriculture and transportation. Fritz agrees, “we have to have the right jobs, they have to be well trained for those jobs, we have to have places where they want to live that offer the kinds of arts and experiences, retail experiences that they want to experience, young people care deeply about diversity and inclusion they've gotta see a population around them that looks like the world, the world they want to live in."
With these goals in mind Nebraska can continue to provide the good life. “There very well might be some areas that are gonna have to transform themselves which is difficult to do in the process, but at the end it's worth it,” said Fritz.
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